Challenging the Beast
by ArodessIncarnet
Summary: Adding in a new spin on Hak and Yona's romance. Spoiler alert! This Fic is based off where we are in the manga as of chapter 111! So don't read if you don't want spoilers! Yona Does something incredible to save Hak... I wonder what it will be... :) Will be multiple chapters long, warning you now. Also, will have gory content, and adult themes.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So, just a brief heads up, this story takes place in the not so far future of the series. It happens close to the end of the arc that we are in now. Why, because I wanted to manipulate elements that we already have in place from the recent chapters. So if it's not already obvious, there will be spoilers. And also, as per normal, I do not own or claim ownership of any of the characters (Except the OC and her "gift"... those are mine…) Enjoy!

"Shin-Ah! Jea-Ha! Set up the tent quickly!" Yoon shouted as he dropped his bag to the open floor of the clearing and began rummaging through it. Kija was holding Hak's tattered body and Yona crying silently behind them, holding on to the shattered glaive her friend always kept by his side.

"Zeno, go get firewood and water!" at Yoon's words the gold dragon warrior rushed off into the forest.

"Yoon… He'll be ok right…?" Yona asked in a small shaky voice.

"Of course, he will be, that damn thunder beast won't die so easily." Yoon grits his teeth as he pulled herbs and supplies out of his bag.

"Relax princess, Hak will be alright." Kija's voice was slow like someone was pulling him through a thick pool of mud.

"Were done, get him in." Jea-Ha panted from trying to set up the tent so quickly.

"Good, Kija, get him inside, Jea-Ha, Shin-Ah, go catch up with Zeno, someone needs to get something for dinner, and we need enough firewood and more water than Zeno can carry on his own."

"Yoon! You're panicking, calm down. You got this." Jea-Ha said soothingly before he turned around and grimaced. Shin-Ah pointed off to his right.

"Zeno is this way…" He said quietly.

"Jump on and point the way." Jea-Ha shook off his original gloom and took off with the blue dragon on his back. Yona followed Yoon and Kija into the small tent. she sat down on Hak's left, with Yoon on his right.

"Kija, I hate to ask this, but I need you to stand outside and make sure we weren't followed," Yoon said, more than a little sidetracked by the man before him and his nearly demolished body. Kija nodded and stepped out. Leaving the three of them alone together, in painful silence.

"Yona, help me get his clothes off." the boy instructed the girl in tears. They carefully removed the garments from Hak and were greeted by a full frontal view of his destroyed chest.

Several gash marks from blades had taken themselves clear down to his ribs. There were arrow wounds in his shoulders, biceps, and arms, a few still sticking their way out of his legs. He was also well covered in numerous shallow gashes covering him head to toe.

"Shit." Yoon cursed under his breath. Hours passed of careful bandaging and splinting, as Yoon had later found that Hak's leg may or may not have been broken. Yelling from outside the tent drew His and Yona's attention.

"We're back with the firewood and water!" Jea-Ha's voice called out from a ways away.

"Good, start up a fire and heat some water," Yoon called back. "Yona go out and help them, this is only stressing you out." Yoon paused, "Go help those moron dragons with their injuries." he said. Yona nodded, she stood, tears still streaming down her face.

The cool air of the evening clung to her damp face. Taking a cloth from Yoon's bag, she dipped it in the warm water and went to Kija, whose dragon arm had been sliced to ribbons, but was still nowhere near as bad as the Thunder Beast's body.

"Princess I'm alright enough to do it on my own." Kija's voice was quiet as he strained his neck to look at the tear soaked face he loved so much.

"No, I need to keep my mind off Hak. Please let me tend to you," She paused. "to you all." Her head turned slowly to face the other three dragons. the setting sun glinting off her crimson hair, making everyone pause a moment. Jea-Ha was the first to shake himself out of it.

"I wouldn't like it any other way Yona…" The green dragon said soothingly. Ao bounded over from Shin-Ah to sit on Yona's shoulder. The furry creature rubbed her cheek, absorbing some of the moisture there.

"Since Zeno doesn't get hurt, Zeno will go catch dinner!" Zeno ran off into the treeline.

"I thought I told you guys to bring dinner back with you…" Yoon pushed his way out of the tent. wiping semi bloodied hands onto a piece of cloth. Yona was just about finished bandaging Kija's arm.

"Yeah, we didn't find much. Just these nuts." Jea-Ha held out a palm-sized bag of nuts. Shin-Ah nodded silently behind him. Yoon sighed.

"Hold out your fingers." Yoon stated blandly, Jea-Ha complied silently. The skin had been nearly completely removed from the undersides of his knuckles. Yoon grumbled and grabbed the ointment from his bag and began to wrap the tall man's fingers in gauze.

Yona found herself staring aimlessly at the tent. She felt a hand on her shoulder. Shin-Ah was standing behind her, his hand on her shoulder. Taking her hand he lead her close to Yoon and Jea-Ha, then he sat down next to the man with green hair. Shin-Ah held out his arm,

"Please." the blue dragon warrior asked quietly.

Yona smiled softly, knowing he was trying to help. She rolled up his sleeves and found several small cuts, seemingly from arrows. She only found one puncture mark in his upper shoulder. After a covering of ointment and a few bandages Shin-Ah was done. They all sat quietly for a moment.

"How is he?" Jea-Ha broke the silence by addressing the elephant between them.

"Honestly, I don't know. He's strong. He has pulled through similar situations before." Yoon clasped his hands in his lap. Yona remembered how Hak had been when they had fallen from the cliff just before meeting Yoon and the Priest.

"He may or may not make it through the night." Yoon said quietly.

A/N; Well, that's it for now. Hopefully, you all like it! If I can ill get the next chapter up tomorrow. Now for the super cheesy part, Please rate and review! :)


	2. Chapter 2

Jea-Ha woke up first, his bladder screaming at him. The man stood, groggy and swaying back and forth. After a half awake glance, he noticed one particular redheaded woman was missing. His bladder was put on hold as was jolted awake with realization. Frantically he looked around, not seeing any trace of her. Just a bandaged Shin-Ah sitting on a stone pointing to the tent silently. After a moment the green dragon understood, he quickly threw open the flap to the tent. Jea-Ha sighed in relief when he saw her. Quietly shutting it again he went to relieve himself.

Yona sat there, next to Hak, holding his hand. Her eyes only half open.

 _What will I do if he doesn't make it through this? I have the others, but I wouldn't be able to go on. At least, not for a long, long time._ She thought to herself as she cradled the box in her hand. That box, given to her by the man she thought she loved. The man that made her smile, the man who tried to kill her. Now, though, the box held two things, not one. Her eyes flicked up to the shard of stone that hung around her protectors neck. Yona clenched the box tighter, not wanting her little bit of him to slip through her fingers.

"Yona, you still in here?" Yoon asked still half asleep as he pulled open the door.

"Yes."

"He still fighting?"

"Yes."

"Yona, go freshen up. you look like hell." Yoon sat on the other side of Hak. "I promise you, he's lasted overnight, his chances to survive this goes up and up the longer he spends recovering." He relaxed into a half smile.

"Alright…" She gently held his hand a moment longer before standing to leave.

"Take one of the dragons with you. Just to be safe."

"I will." Her voice was monotone, almost dead. Outside the tent, the air was crisp, Zeno and KIja were both still asleep.

"Shin-Ah? Will you come with me to freshen up?"

The masked man nodded and jumped down from the stone he was on to accompany her. Ao bounded over to the red head, scampering and pulling himself up her clothes to sit on her shoulder.

"Ware is the nearest place to go do you think?" Yona asked the blue dragon, who proceed to nodded in a general direction before holding out his hand. She took it, following behind him like a puppy.

It wasn't long before they reached a small stream. Yona knelt by the flowing water and began to splash water on her face. Shin-Ah squatted beside her, removing his mask to do the same. She glanced at him, and smiled slightly, happy that he was comfortable enough around her to do so. She turned her face to the morning sky, the pale blue, nearly the same pale blue of the robes Hak used to wear back at the palace. Her face darkened, she wiped her face on her sleeve then stood.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom, wait here Shin-Ah." She smiled slightly, looking at his beautiful golden eyes, the man froze for a moment, before burying his face in the white mane that was his headdress and nodding furiously.

On their way back, the two gathered up the random bits of suitable firewood that they could find. Yona was surprised to find both other dragons awake and running around like worker ants under Jea-Ha's reign.

"Whats going on?" Yona asked, completely confounded by the situation of the three men.

"Yona, in the tent, Shin-Ah, up in the trees to keep watch please," Jea-Ha ordered them both as well. At that, the princess quickly dropped the firewood near the fire and entered the tent.

"Hey there Crybaby-Princess." the voice was weak but completely there, and it brought tears to her eyes again, only proving his point.

AN: Sorry this chapter is so much later than promised. I was not in the mood to write recently. The confusing bit at the beginning will come into play and clarify itself later. ;) Hope you enjoyed~


	3. Chapter 3

Yoon Struck up the conversation, "I will leave you both to talk. Call me if you need anything." he made his way out the tent to get a handle on the green dragon outside going power crazy.

Yona wiped her face on her sleeve, trying to get rid of the stray tears that had loosed themselves. "You don't know how scared I was that I may have lost you." Her voice was soft and rickety.

"You're not going to lose me. I'm too tough."

"You're not immortal, Hak!"

"I'm sure as hell tougher than some people out there."

"HAK!" She half-heartedly yelled.

He went silent, shock washing over his face. He twisted his neck to look at her, she was on her knees next to him.

"You're the only one here whom I cannot afford to lose. If I lose you…" her hands balled into fists in her lap as tears stained her skirt.

"Hey, hey, hey…you didn't lose me. I'm right here banged up yes, but I'm here. I'm alive." _God that sounds so sappy, but I don't mind being sappy for you._ He thought to himself. "Stop crying Princess, your face is the same color as your hair." He reached a hand shakily out to brush her hair from her face, she caught it and held it to her cheek instead.

"Your an idiot…" She held his hand there for a moment, before pulling it down to her chest and lying down next to him so that her head was just beneath his bicep.

"What are you doing?" He looked back to the ceiling of the tent to hide the flush on his face. _Keep it cool, keep it cool..._

"I'm resting. I haven't gotten a good sleep since the night before you were hurt." She paused a moment, pulling his arm closer to her chest, "Please let me stay here…" She whispered after a pause. Moments later she was out cold against him.

A small smile made its way onto his face. "Of course princess." he said quietly, his free hand slowly making its way up to the pendant around his neck. Finding it, the smile grew. _I'm not gonna leave you. Not with this protecting me._ He shut his eyes, following her into sleep.

-zzz-

"You really shouldn't be up and moving around yet Hak." Yoon said irritation entwined with his voice.

"Shut it, Yoon, I need to bathe, badly." he paused, "I smell like a dead horse." His nose crinkled at the thought.

"At least, take someone with you, and don't get the more serious injuries wet."

"I'm not taking one of the dragons with me so they can watch me bathe." he cringed at the thought of Jea-Ha watching him bathe.

"Take Yona then."

Hak froze. "I can't ask her to do that." _A bath with Yona huh… I can dream._

"She's so dense, she won't know the difference, just ask her to turn around."

"Why?" Yona's innocent voice chimed in.

Hak stood stunned, blood rushing to his face momentarily. "I want to go take a bath, and Yoon wants someone to keep an eye on me while I do." He turned slightly to face her.

"So I just won't watch, but its not like I haven't seen you nearly naked before." She shrugged.

"Is there something you care to share Thunder Beast?" Kija's voice rang out as he and the other dragons returned from the forest. He was holding a new armful of firewood.

Hak went ridged. "She's referring to when we were kids. Not that it's your, or any of yous, business," he gestured vaguely to the dragons. "I'm going." He began hobbling towards the tree line, supporting himself on the staff of his shattered glave.

"Well, not alone you're not." Yona trodden up to him, pulling one of his arms around her and encouraging him to lean on her.

"Shin-Ah? Keep an eye on them would you? let us know if something goes horribly wrong…" Yoon sighed and continued to do the laundry.

The blue dragon nodded, glancing at Yona and Hak as they walked by.

The two slowly made their way into the forest, Yona guiding him to the water. The walk was quiet, Hak's heavy breaths were the only thing Yona paid attention to. With each step on his bad leg, he shook violently.

A/N: Hey guys, sorry it this one is a bit shotty, I've been sick all week. I try to get a new chapter up soon after I see a new review, so it this wasn't corny enough, please rate and review! (Oh, and I'm totally open to grammar critiques, I know I'm not perfect, so have at it. (seriously, please I hate one particular line in this chapter.))


	4. Chapter 4

His breathing set her on edge, "Are you sure you're ok?"

"I'm fine Princess." He murmured as he leaned on her a bit more.

 _No, he's not._ "Let's stop and rest, I'm kinda tired."

"Princess I can hear the water, you can rest when we get there."

 _Damn him…_ "Alright…"

He was right, soon enough the trees opened up into a clearing with a river running through. The sun glinting off the water's surface threw light and reflections onto the trees behind the pair.

"You wash first, I'll go second." She wandered over to a rock and sat down.

"You're gonna bathe to?" A confused expression shot across his face.

"Yeah, we came out here, I may as well."

"Going by that logic you may as well help me get my robes off since you're here." He shrugged.

"W-why?" Her face flushed as red as her hair.

He chuckled at her reaction, then cringed as a flash of pain shot through his chest. "Because I'm wrapped up in bandages and it's hard to reach some areas." He exhaled and leaned his head back, closing his eyes.

"Alright…" Yona hopped off the rock and nimbly jumped on and off stones by the bank until she was standing in front of him. Her small hands reaching for the strip of cloth around his waist.

Hak's face flashed red, "Actually, nevermind Princess." He took a step back from her. "I can undress myself." He turned so that he wasn't facing her directly and began to undo his sash. It fell to the floor easily, when he reached up to pull the robe off his shoulders he flinched, making a face.

"Don't be stupid Hak." Yona's voice was lower than normal, he turned to face her but her hair covered her eyes. She approached him again, this time taking the robe from his shoulders and gently pulling it down over his arms, revealing several pinkish red-stained bandages that wrapped his chest. "I hate seeing you in pain," she spoke softly.

"What?" He turned his head to look at her again. She wiped her eyes just as he did so.

"Please don't try to run away from me, Hak." Her voice was shaky.

"What do you mean? What are you talking about?!" He was confused by her statement, his brow furrowed and he turned to face her completely, his robe around his arms, not on, not off.

"You just stepped away from me, you call me over, then you run away." She looked up at him with clear, violet eyes.

"Princess I was just embarrassed."

"Embarrassed about what? I helped Yoon with your bandages the first night, I've seen more of your skin than you're showing now."

Hak felt his face turn red. "Princess, that is a bit… unsettling. Exactly how much did you see?"

When she realized what she had said her hand flew to her mouth and her face flushed red again. "N-not that much!" She spun around so her back was to him. _Great, he probably thinks I'm some kind of freak now, peeping on him._

"Just help me get this thing off, and as odd as it sounds, my pants too. I'll sit so all you need to do is pull the hems for that." Hak ran his hands through his hair repeatedly.

"Right, let's get you into the water." She pulled the robe off him completely and folded it over her arm before sitting it on a rock nearby. Hak found another rock to lean on, enough so that Yona wouldn't have problems pulling his pants down.

 _What I wouldn't give to have her do this in any other situation…_ His mind wandered a bit before her voice snapped him back into reality.

"I'm going to pull now." She was crouched at his feet, her grip tight on the cuffs of his pants.

"R-right… Just remember, there is a splint on one leg, don't pull to hard."

She hummed in response, gently she tugged on his pants to get them down his waist. The pants slid slowly with each pull, down his legs. His breathing picked up slightly.

 _God dammit Hak! Get your mind out of the gutter! You can't think about the Princess that way!_

He shook his head, trying to get rid of those thoughts. A small twinge of pain did exactly that.

"Sorry, it's stuck." She stood and leaned forward to unhook the cloth from the piece of wood tied around her bodyguard's thy.

 _Think about the kid that died when we were trying to find Jea-Ha. Think about Jea-Ha, yeah, think about Jea-Ha trying to- oh god no…_ Hak tried to get a handle on his thoughts as the Princess worked his pants down his legs.

A/N: Sorry it's been awhile, Been busy with school and what not. again, I'm open to all kinds of critiques, so have at it. Please favorite and review! it's a big'ol confidence booster for me!


	5. Chapter 5

Hak squeezed his eyes shut tight. A familiar twinge in his groin sent him into a panic.

"Done, you can step out of it now." Yona's voice was a clear cut through his thoughts.

His eyes snapped open. "T-thanks…" Hak stepped out of the cloth that pooled around his feet. He refrained from looking at Yona as he made his way to the water.

"You're going in your loincloth?" Her innocent voice asked.

"I'll just change into a new one back at camp." He fumbled to get the words out.

"It's up to you, not my fault if you freeze on the way back." She shrugged, he could hear it in how she said it.

"You make it seem like you want me to take it off." Hak let himself tease her, she deserved it after what she had just put him through.

"T-that is absolutely none of your business!" Yona stammered, beginning to get flustered.

Hak chuckled, "Princess, it is every bit my business if you want to see me without my loincloth." He couldn't take it anymore, he turned his head to face her and smirked at the fact that her face had turned the same colour as her hair.

"HAK I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT WANT TO SEE YOU OUT OF YOUR LOINCLOTH!" Her voice was shrill.

Hak's smirk dropped off his face, leaving behind an expression that Yona could not quite pinpoint. He turned away from her once more. ' _It's not the end of the world Hak, you just pushed her too much.'_

The two were silent as Hak splashed himself with water, trying to avoid his bandages as best he could. The water was cold, almost mimicking the estranged dagger he felt in his gut.

' _I'm her bodyguard. I need to not be attached to her so much, that comment shouldn't- no, doesn't hurt. It's a perfectly reasonable statement.'_

"Hak?"

"Yes?"

"Are you mad at me?"

"Depends on your definition of 'mad'."

"Are you angry?"

"No."

"Then are you upset?"

"...Yes."

"...Because of what I said?

"...Yes."

There was silence once again. Hak continued blatantly gazing out over the water trickling by. Trying to leave his emotions out there in the water to wash away and leave him numb.

His attention was drawn to the sound of footsteps behind him, still he did not turn to look. Yona sat down beside him.

"Now we're even."

What are you talking abo-" He finally turned to look at his red-headed princess. His mouth falling slightly agape after his ability to speak was stolen by the wind.

"About each of us wanting to see the other in less than what is on their person."

Her bodyguard still could not speak. Yona sat next to him, dressed in only her under wraps.

"You-"

"Want me to help you get your shoulders?"

"S-sure…"

Yona calmly moved to Hak's back, cupping water in her hands and pouring it over areas then rubbing in small circles to get rid of the dirt.

"Hak?"

"Yes?"

"I'm very, very confused." Her voice dropped and he felt her forehead press against his shoulder.

"About what?" She was silent.

"Princess? About what?" Hak turned a bit so she was no longer behind him.

"No, It's nothing, let me wash and we can head back to camp." She lifted her head and gave him a small, fake, smile. She stood and waited into the deeper water to wash.

Hak made his way over to the rock that Yona had folded his clothes on, slowly, and painfully he pulled each one on. He was tying his sash around his waist when the Princess came back to shore. He couldn't help but stare for a moment. Her beautiful red hair tossed back and sopping wet, droplets of water clung to her skin, trying to stay on the body of that who was his sky before falling back to earth. The sun, after illuminating every curve on her body, seemed to have pulled her straight from a painted tapestry rather than a human. He burned the image of her into his mind.

"Hak?"

"Huh? Yes?" He snapped out of his trance-like state.

You ready to go?" She asked as she pulled on article after article of clothing, slowly hiding his painted princess.

"Yes, Princess."

A/N: I'M SO STUPIDLY SORRY. I HATE SCHOOL I HATE GRADUATION AND I HATE FIGURING OUT COLLAGE. PLEASE ACCEPT THIS SLIGHT SPOILER OF THE NEXT CHAPTER AS MY APOLOGY!

Hak gets put through more pain, but this time, it's willingly, and for the princess.


	6. Chapter 6

"Well, let's get going then" Yona's smile was light and airy.

Hak hummed in response. The shade of the trees covered most of the forest floor as they walked. Birds sang and the trees whistled back, the wind was cool and soft on his skin. His gaze wandered from tree to tree to rock to tree, to Yona. Her hair contrasting from nearly everything around them. A light, no, a flame burning and keeping him from falling into the pit of rage and sorrow that would otherwise befall him.

"Hak," the Princess spoke up, breaking the silence. " the fact that you trust the dragons, means a lot to me. You're starting to get over things, as am I."

His neck prickled at that comment.

"Not like that," She giggled, "I will never forgive him. Not with what he did." Yona's tone dropped.

"Neither of us will ever be able to forgive him for that Princess." Hak's tone was grave.

"No, we never will. But, that doesn't mean we can't make new friends and allow ourselves to feel." Her hand brushed the back of his, drawing his attention to her. Yona smiled, meeting his eyes and taking his hand. "Common, Yoon will go nuts if we're not back soon." She turned and pulled ahead, tugging the man clad in blue gently behind her.

Hak's vision was fixed on her a moment, then shifted to the movement in front of her. Ignoring the spiking pain in his shoulder, he yanked on Yona's arm, tugging her behind him. There was a stinging pain in his ankle.

 _Shit._

"Hak?!" Yona said in surprise at the sudden motion.

"Snake... Princess. You really do need to pay attention to where you step." He grimaced at the pain fading into his ankle and into his upper leg. His eyes followed the snake's body as it slithered off into the bushes. Green yellow, with brown markings. Hak memorized it. "Let's get back to camp."

The two trudged forward, Yona being more cautious of where she put her feet. The longer they walked the more she noticed Hak leaning on her. They were within earshot of the camp when he staggered.

"Hak?!" The Princess tried to catch him as he fell. She succeeded. The man was draped over her shoulder, shuddering with each breath, his forehead covered in a cold sweat. "Help!" She called to the dragons at camp.

"Princess? What's wrong?!" Kija came bursting through the trees followed quickly by Shin-Ah and the others.

"It's Hak! He collapsed!"

The white dragon carefully took the injured man from Yona and darted back to camp.

"Did anything unusual happen while you were out?" Jea-Ha asked, putting his arm around the panicked princess in an attempt to calm her down.

"Snake." Shin-ah whispered.

"Hak stopped me from getting bit by a snake. He acted fine, then he began to lean on me, I thought it was his injuries, but then he collapsed." Yona was in tears on her knees.

"Let's get you back to camp kid…" Jea-Ha helped her to her feet and led them back to camp. Zeno lagged behind, before turning and running off into the forest.

The three companions broke into the clearing to find Yoon ordering Kija around like an overly strict slave driver. "Shin-Ah! I need water heated and brought here. Jea-Ha! I need the senjuso from my bag. NOW! Yona, over here, I need you to tell me what happened."

Everyone scuttled off to their chores that Yoon ordered. Yona, however, darted into the tent to find Yoon applying an ointment of sorts to a sweat covered Hak. "We were walking… I wasn't paying attention… and Hak stopped me from getting bit by a snake…" Her voice was shaking as she spoke.

"Do you remember what the snake looked like?"

"Green… I think… I didn't get a good look." She paused. "Will he be ok?"

"No telling right now. We don't know what kind of snake it was, and a snake bite is the last thing he needs on top of his older injuries." Yoon's brow furrowed as he continued to work on the man before him. "I'll go into town when I can to see if they have anything to treat snake bites. Hopefully this snake is common." He muttered. "Go outside and help the others, or you can go start doing the washing if you feel up to it."

Yona nodded and made her way out of the tent, still shaking.

"Miss! Miss! Is one of these the snakes that bit mister?" Zeno came bounding up into the clearing with four different snakes in tow. The largest snake was solid black, the smallest snake he held was dark green and black. One of the two medium snakes he held was orange and red speckled, the other was greenish yellow with brown markings.

"It was that kind." She pointed to the last snake, voice still shaking.

"Ok!" Zeno darted to the edge of camp and let the other three snakes go. "Mister! It was this snake!" He dashed into the tent.

The sun was setting, Kija built a fire, the group was otherwise silent. Wind rustled in the leaves of the trees whispering like it had something to hide. Yona sat, head in her hands, gazed at the new fire.

Yoon pushed his way out of the tent. "Shin-Ah? Could you come with me into town? I want to ask the shopkeepers if there is a remedy for that snake bite."

The blue dragon nodded and jumped silently down from his rock.

"You all, don't go into the tent, just leave him alone until we get back." Yoon grabbed his bag and the two made their way into town.

"Hey kiddo, how you holding up?" Jea-Ha sat down next to Yona.

"I'll be better when Yoon gets back with news." her gaze never shifted from the fire.

"Come here, and lay down." Jea-Ha motioned for Yona to scoot closer and put her head on his leg. He produced his flute from behind his back and began to play, Yona staring into the flames and letting her mind wander. The group sat like that for hours, waiting for the two to get back. The sun had long set when they did.

Yoon and Shin-Ah walked back into camp, a dark aura blanketed them both.

"Bad news then?" Kija sighed. "Let's hear it."

Yoon sighed, "The snake that bit him is called a Psychonura, a type of viper that preys mostly on poisonous frogs. Because of what they eat, their bite is also toxic."

Yona stiffened in Jea-Ha's lap before sitting up.

"The good news is that it takes a very long time for the venom itself to kill a human because it is meant for amphibians, it isn't very effective against mammals." The group breathed a sigh of relief. "However, the venom will, in time, cause mental instability, and eventually lead to a complete breakdown of the victim's mind. Which is where the venom will eventually cause enough brain damage and the victim will die. If they haven't already killed themselves from all the other symptoms."

Yona's face blanched as Yoon spoke. Her fists began to tremble and she bit her lip to stop it from quivering. "Is there a cure? A remedy? Anything?" Panic began to interlace itself in her voice.

"That's the other news, there is... But it is way out of our price range." Yoon shook his head. "They wouldn't tell me what it was made out of either."

A/N: I tried to make it longer like you asked. Not a real snake, not a real possibility, I don't believe any snakes out there can do that… LET ME MAKE THIS CLEAR: Jea-Ha is a brother figure, and Hak is gonna try some stuff while he's out of his mind on venom. Hey, It's rated M for a reason...


	7. Chapter 7

"I need you all to stay out here and keep watch tonight. I don't need anything else happening." Yoon sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Princess, you should go get some rest. Or try to, at least." He looked at her knowingly.

"I don't think I'll be able to. Not with Hak-" She was interrupted by a crash and a scream. Everyone ran for the tent. Yoon yanked the flap open, Hak was on his hands and knees, the candle that lit the tent had been knocked over. One of Hak's hands was on his face, his expression was that of someone who had just seen their worst nightmare. "Hak?!" Yona rushed over to him, "Hak what are you doing?" she crouched next to him, pulling him upright gently.

"Princess? Where are you?" His eyes were flicking about in her general direction. Next was his hand, outstretched, trying to find the girl he had sworn to protect.

"I'm right here." She took his hand and brought it up to her cheek.

"Princess…" He breathed. "I can't see." His voice was shaky.

Yona shut her own eyes. Trying to stop the tears that had already welled up.

"Zeno, go get the candle. You three, keep watch. Yona, I'll sleep just outside the tent. I think it might be better for him, if you got him to calm down and go to sleep." Yoon sighed.

Yona sniffed. "Alright. I will."

The four silently made their way out of the tent. Leaving the two alone.

"Yona?" Hak's voice shook violently.

"I'm right here." She whispered, gingerly pulling him up onto her lap, letting him rest his head there. "Shut your eyes Hak." She ran her fingers through his hair, humming quietly. Finally, his quivering stopped, he fell quiet.

"I must be dreaming." He mumbled, eyes half open. The princess continued humming. "The princess, my spoiled brat of a princess, humming the tune I taught her, to me…" She continued humming. "It's too good to be true." He chuckled weekly. She continued humming. His hand drifted up to her face slowly, sane lost her pitch in the tune for a moment. It traveled from her cheek up to her hair, playing with what he believed to be red curls. "Thank you, princess, I love you…" His already whisper of a voice faded out as he slipped into sleep.

"Hmm?" Yona stopped humming. "What was that?" She asked softly. She furrowed her brow at the silence that followed. "I could have sworn…" Yona sat back a bit, perplexed at what she thought she heard him say. Pushing her thoughts aside she smiled down at the sleeping figure on her lap. "Get your rest Hak, you're going to need it." She gently lifted his head off her legs and layed him down next to her. She pursed her lips a moment, thinking about what she should do. She eventually shrugged and laid down next to him. It wouldn't be the first time they slept together, was her argument. She wriggled a moment, trying to get comfortable. There was a grown from behind her, and suddenly an arm snaked its way around her waist. She froze, not moving, not breathing. Yona felt her heart beating in her cheeks as she was pulled backward into the chest of her sleeping companion.

"Stop moving so much…" The half asleep thunder beast grumbled behind her. Yona could hardly breathe, she squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to think about her close proximity to her protector. He shifted his hips, turning onto his side so she was pressed completely into him. Her eyes snapped open, whatever that was should not be there. No, she knew what it was. She tried to slowly escape the larger spoon, he would not let go. She sat there for a long time, Hak pressed into her back. Eventually, she lost focus and slipped into sleep.

* * *

Hak was the first to wake up, his vision blurry as all hell, but it was there. He could only make out colors, not shapes or forms. He did, however, recognize the red blur that was pressed into him, from what he could feel, her back was against his chest, and his back wasn't the only thing pressed to her. The blood drained from his face, only adding to the problem. He gently pulled his arm from her waist, trying to inch away from her as he did so. After about five minutes of scooting he deemed that he was far enough away. He tried to stand and swayed a bit before finding his balance and going to find the tent flap. He pushed on the fabric in different areas, moving his feet slowly, as to not step on anything.

"Hak?" A sleepy voice spoke from behind him.

Yona's voice sent a shiver through him, images of what he had wanted to do to her for a long time blinked across his mind. "Hey, you're awake?" His nervousness was easily herded. He continued to push gently on the fabric.

"Can you still not see?" Her voice dropped.

"I can see color. That's it. No shapes. Everything is fuzzy." He turned to face the red dot, praying that his pants covered him up enough.

Yona stayed silent, taking note of his wide eyes and hands what we're still feeling about. She stood, and took one of his outstretched hands. "Common, the door is over here…" She gently tugged him along.

Hak sighed mentally. She hadn't noticed. He followed the bobbing red dot outside and squinted at the change in bright light.

"Good, you're both up, how was he last night Yona?" Yoon asked, Hak could see a slightly more peach-ish color from the other light browns and darker greens surrounding them.

"He was ok, once he calmed down. Then he passed out." The red dot moved away from him. Not knowing what else to do, Hak followed, always keeping her within arms reach.

"Looks like you have a new puppy kiddo." Jea-ha laughed. Hak turned to see a green-blue blur walking into the campground from the green fuzz that he assumed was the trees.

"Did you catch anything?" Yoon inquired.

"Of corse, we have four decently sized fish." Jea-ha pulled a bag from over his shoulder and handed it off to Yoon.

"Good job." Yoon raised his eyebrows as he looked into the bag. The other dragons were beginning to join the group slowly, rubbing the sleep from their faces.

"What's the plan today?" Kija asked no one in particular.

"Well, we are all going to town to find work." Yoon took the fish over to the pot and began preparing them. "Zeno, could you run and get water for me? Kija go get the other spices from my bag, Yona, stick with Hak please, Shin-ah stay on look out. Jea ha, could you try to find some wild veggies?"

Everyone agreed and hurried off, eager to eat breakfast.

"Yona?" Hak reached for the red dot. "As odd as this is for me to ask you... Could you help me get somewhere so I can go to the bathroom?" He asked nervously.

Yona smiled softly and took his outstretched hand. "Of course."

A.N.: this chapter was super strange for me to wright. Sorry about the delay on the update, i got lost on my newest story, Missing Persons. It's a Teen Wolf/Beauty and the Beast (CW version) crossover. ANYWAYYYY the part in this chapter when yona is humming, she's humming the chorus from "Joe Hisaishi - Howl's Moving Castle" (Title of the vid on YouTube) in my head any way. Hope you enjoy! I will try to update sooner than last time this time… now that's just confusing…


	8. Chapter 8

The town was quiet that morning. The breeze was cool and calming. The group walked through the streets, asking everyone they found if there was work for the day. One by one the dragons found work with an assortment of odd jobs. Kija, moving lumber, Jea-ha, attracting customers for a newly opened shop, Zeno, modeling clothes for the same shop, and Shin-ah, looking for fish for the fishermen. The remaining two followed Yoon to the street vendor area. Hak kept one hand on Yona's shoulder at all times. She would glance back at him now and again, hoping that at some point he would look up, smile, and tease her for how worried she had been.

"Do you two want to stay with me or…?" Yoon asked, not sure of what they were doing.

"We don't really know what to do…" Yona shot Hak another look.

"Is there a gambling area in this town?" Hak chipped in. "If so we might be able to make some money off the princess's dancing skills and her archery." He shrugged.

"That again? What if they have someone who can shoot better than me?"

"We worry about that if it happens." He smirked.

Yona's stressed expression melted at the sight of his smile. She sighed. "Fine."

"Well, either way, that won't be till later today. So. You both can help me set up here and pull in customers." Yoon pulled off his backpack and pulled out the blanket. "Here Yona." He handed it off.

The day dragged on slowly, Hak sat back and waited as Yona was up at the front showcasing what Yoon wanted her to. Hak grit his teeth, growing impatient. "Hey Yoon, anything I can do?" He finally couldn't stand it.

"Not really, not with your eyes out." Yoon looked over his shoulder at the bored thunder beast. He felt bad for the guy, it had been hours since they set up shop, and the crowd was dying out any way. Suddenly he had an idea, a sly grin spread across his face. "I have an idea, undo your upper robes so you are bare chested."

* * *

"My darling please! Please don't leave me!" Hak's voice could be heard down the street. He was down on one knee, holding one of Yona's hands in both of his and pressing it to his forehead as he begged her.

"I cannot stay here, not with people who despise me like this!" Yona pretended to choke back tears. She turned so her back was to him, but let him keep her hand.

"Please Harai! Please stay! They may hate you but I will make them see, I will make them see the real you!" He stood and tugged her hand sending her spiraling into him, he looked down at the red blur in front of him. She looked up at him, half hoping to see the firm eyes of her protector, but meeting unfocused, hazy ones instead.

"I cannot stay in a town with no love, you know that." She whispered loudly.

Hak grimaced, but then let it fade from his face. He let go of her hand and pulled her into a tight embrace. Yona's face turned the same color as her hair as it came into contact with his bare chest. She let out a small yip that she wasn't meant to. Hak leaned down and pressed his face into her hair. "But I love you." He nearly whispered.

"And that's it for now folks!" Yoon spoke up from behind the acting pair. The crowd that had gathered in front protested. Hak and Yona split, he again put his hand on her shoulder.

"You can't leave it like that!"

"What happens?!"

"Yeah, common we wanna know what's next!"

A smile grew across Yoon's face. "I'm sorry folks, I can't pay my actors for any more work today. I could however… If you were to…" He gestured to the items laid out in front of him. The girls that had gathered rushed over to the stall. Some, over to Hak.

Yona froze, wanting to run away but also not wanting to leave a nearly blinded Hak behind. The chatter of the women seemed to drown out everything else. Was he a traveled? How long would he be in town? Was he with someone? Who was his type?

Was he married? Hak stuttered all his answers, not knowing where the questions were coming from to begin with. The brown, black and beige blur was pushing the red away, he felt his fingers slipping off her shoulder, then she was gone. He stopped answering, trying to find something to take hold of and keep him steady in the mass of shifting shades. The questions felt like stones being hurled at him, he backed up into a table, falling on it and knocking it over. The girls looked shocked, but there view of the young man with the panicked expression was cut off by the red head.

"Back off. All of you! Can't you see you've petrified him?! Bombarding him with questions when what you wanted to know was really none of your business any way!" Yona turned to face Hak.

"Y-Yona…" His voice was clipped and shaky. She gave him a funny look when he said her name, shaking it off she took his hand.

"Now back off." Yona turned her gaze to the crowd of women. "NOW." She shouted. Hak stood behind her, gripping her hand tightly. Not wanting to lose track of her again. His eyes stayed focused on the haze of red that maneuvered through the masses of browns and blacks. She led the quivering man back to Yoon and his set up.

"You both did great out there, ready to go again?" Yoon said as he counted the coins he had collected.

"No. I'm taking Hak back to camp." Yona seethed. Yoon looked up, surprised by her tone. Hak standing behind the princess, cowering like a child with his mother, made a look of surprise cross Yoon's face.

"Alright, take this," he passed Yona a few coins. "buy some lunch for the both of you on the way up there."

Yona nodded and quickly led Hak away from the area and out onto the main road. "What do you want to eat?" She asked him softly, trying to calm him down.

"You…" He muttered softly. "Anything's fine." He said quite a bit louder, still holding her tightly.

"Alright… Let's see how much pork buns are." She began scanning the road, looking for a street stall that sold them.

* * *

The afternoon sun was hot on their backs as they made their way to the shade of the woods. The breeze was welcome as they walked into the trees. Hak's mind had begun to wander.

"Yona?"

She paused, furrowing her brow before answering. "Yes Hak?"

"Would you ever leave me behind?"

The question surprised her, making her turn around quickly to face the delusional man. "No. Why would you think that? I didn't let you leave me behind in the wind clan capital, I didn't leave you behind in Kija's village. Why would I leave you now?"

"Because you don't need me. Your strong now princess, stronger than I thought you would ever be. Then you have the dragons to protect you, and Yoon to care for you, you don't need someone as sick and useless as me. And don't deny it… You know I'm useless without my glave." Hak's voice dropped further and further as he spoke.

Her hand flew into the air, as if to smack him, but stopped. Her face twitching in rage as she lowered her hand. "That is one of the most ridiculous things you have ever said to me Hak. The day I 'leave you behind' is the day we are back at the castle with everything restored and I am able to give you your freedom!" Yona's face blanched as she realized what she had let slip.

"My freedom? What's that supposed to mean?" His brows furrowed.

Yona pulled her hand away from his. "It was supposed to be a surprise. I don't want to force you to stay with me for the rest of your life." She clutched her arms around her chest, trying not to think about finally parting with him.

Hak stood silent a moment. "So, you want to… eventually… give me 'my freedom'?" He lifted his head, looking at the masses of green with specks of blue showing through. "What makes you think I even want 'freedom'?"

Yona loosened her grip around herself and looked at him. "You don't want to be able to walk around, live your life, unburdened by me?" She was more confused than she was before.

Hak quickly lowered his view, finding his red blur. He reached out and awkwardly took hold of her before pulling her into a tight embrace. "I don't want you to leave me behind because you are my life." He rested his head on her shoulder. Yona's eyes widened as she felt her shoulder go from dry, to damp, to wet.

A.N.: Hey, hope you like this chap. Couldn't find a good spot to end, so it's a bit longer. I know I make mistakes here and there, know that I do kick myself for them… (I went back and read through the previous chapters… omg…) Anyway, if u enjoyed it let me know!


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